CityLab Daily: Can Waze Convince Commuters to Carpool Again?

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What We’re Following

Pool party: Sometimes, changing people’s transportation habits takes is a little push. And if that doesn’t work, give them tacos. That’s what Waze did a few weeks ago to convince employees in a D.C. WeWork office space to try a new spin on an old idea: carpooling. Over the last few weeks, the wayfinding app has been making a concerted effort in the region to get people to try its spinoff app, Waze Carpool.

The hope is that a company that specializes in helping people find driving directions can remind us what’s great about riding together. In the process, it could take a few cars off of the road, save some gas, and ease the traffic congestion that Waze users try to avoid—something that ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft have so far failed to do. But can an app persuade Americans to fill their empty seats? I gave the app a try for my latest: Can Waze Convince Commuters to Carpool Again?

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Feargus O'Sullivan

Bourdain Day

Jim Cooper/AP

It’s been just over a year since chef, writer, and television star Anthony Bourdain died, and today would have been his 62nd birthday. In honor of the Parts Unknown host, chefs Éric Ripert and José Andrés have declaring today Bourdain Day and setting up an international culinary scholarship in his name, while restaurants across the globe toast to his memory. It’s a fitting tribute to Bourdain, who “used food as his lens to explore and unveil the intersection of human creativity, authenticity, and community,” when he traveled throughout cities around the world, as CityLab’s Richard Florida wrote last year: Urbanists Could Learn a Lot From Anthony Bourdain.

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